Page 54 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

You said you wouldn’t fall in love again, especially with the woman whose house you’re trying to buy.

But here he was, doing exactly that. He set the glass down and forced his jaw to relax with one hand. The tension ebbed away as he let himself sit with what he was feeling, to listen to it rather than lock it away. He’d already done the work of breaking down those walls, so why did he still feel like he needed to run?

What was so hard about love? What was it that kept him at arms’ length from loving someone? What made him shy away from it even now?

Fear.

He swallowed hard as the harsh weight of that settled in. His ex had tainted it for him. And his brother. But hadn’t he let that go in Montana last night when he burnt the letter and the article—right in front of Kinsley? The flames had consumed those pieces of his past, turning them to ash before his eyes. He thought he had moved on, so why was it still keeping him up at night, when that drawer of his desk was finally empty?

Running a hand through his hair, he let out a shaky breath. Kinsley didn’t deserve his suspicions, or this jealous ire. She had never once acted untrustworthy. She wanted Daegan, seemingly more than anyone ever had, to the point where she practically swallowed him whole. She was putting her whole job on the line just to take him in her arms. And he wanted her, too—every inch of her flesh, every laugh, every smirk.

I love you.

The words had almost slipped out. But they were the three words that he could never take back.It wouldn’t have been a slip of the tongue or a mistake. It would have been honest.

He could still feel the softness of her skin under his hands, the way she’d looked at him, vulnerable and open. He couldn’t imagine life without her.

Kinsley.

Her name alone sent a wave of calm through him, chasing away the lingering ghosts of betrayal. She wasn’t Megan. She wasn’t his brother. She wasn’t anyone but herself—honest, kind, and fiercely loyal. She wasn’t trying to break him. She was trying to heal him, even if she didn’t realize it.

Love wasn’t a weakness. It wasn’t the enemy. Love was what he had been missing, what he’d been too afraid to seek again.

For the first time in years, he let himself imagine a different life—one where the house wouldn’t feel so empty, and his life wouldn’t feel so cold. He could almost hear her laughter echoing down the halls, warming every icy corner.

Daegan smiled, and it felt foreign but right. He had spent so long running from this, convinced it was a trap. But with Kinsley in his life, he realized something else.

The greater risk was never letting himself feel at all.

What was the other option? Living out his days alone, haunted by the love he never allowed himself to feel? Avoiding the one person that had tried to heal him?

The fear was still there, lingering in the shadows of his mind, but it no longer held him captive. Instead, it spurred him toward a love he hadn’t thought he deserved, but now couldn’t imagine living without.

Sitting in the quiet of his study, he realized for the first time that he didn’t have to face this alone. Love wasn’t a trap. It was a choice. One he was finally ready to make. Rising from hischair, he turned off the light, promising himself that this was something they could do together.

“You did what?”Cameron shouted over the video call.

“We had sex,” Kinsley repeated. Her voice was shaking, almost as if she couldn’t believe it herself.

Brienne’s jaw dropped. After a moment, she picked it up off the ground and said, “We called it, Cam! I mean, we knew you’d cave, but wow, you guys really went all-in.”

“Literally ‘all-in,’” Cameron added.

“Three times,” Kinsley added, hoping the two of them would keep talking over her.

“I’m sorry, did you say—” Cameron started before being cut off.

“Who’s counting, but—” Kinsley was trying to gloss over it.

“He’s just trying to get into your heart to get your house!” Brienne burst out, interrupting the other ladies as she tied her blonde hair up into a messy bun as if she was ready to get to work.

The video call fell quiet, before Cameron added under her breath, “Get into her pantsandher heart.”

“He still isn’t getting the house, guys, it doesn’t change any of that,” Kinsley assured them, though she couldn’t help but wonder if she was right or wrong.

“But itdoeswhen he holds some power to sway you,” Brienne replied.

“If it’s true,” Cameron said, “he won’t back down. He’s a businessman, not a family man. Westerhouse makes deals, not love.”

---